


he's more myself than i am

by Anonymous



Category: Running Man (China) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-04
Updated: 2015-05-06
Packaged: 2018-03-29 00:13:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3875224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>if soul mates were real, Bao Bei Er thought, they would be it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. whatever our souls are made of,

**Author's Note:**

> 这个实在太长了，作图不方便所以就post到这里了
> 
> 晨赫、超恺、ex-超晨
> 
> title & chapter titles are all from my main girl emily brontë
> 
> (also please ignore my misspelling of Zheng Kai's name)

Bao Bei Er arrived at the Hong Kong Shatterdome on a rainy May afternoon, stepping off the private jet and wincing as he realised he'd forgotten to bring an umbrella. A short man, his saviour, stood a few metres away with a disproportionately large umbrella in one hand and another closed umbrella dangling off his arm. He was so absorbed in the clipboard clutched in his other hand that he hadn’t seem to notice the plane land right in front of his nose.

 

“Hey,” Bao Bei Er prompted with a polite smile.

 

The man’s head snapped up, his expression made more comical by the fact that he was wearing a navy blue headscarf. “Hi.” He looked back down at his clipboard, blinked, looked behind Bao Bei Er at the taxiing plane, and looked back at Bao Bei Er. “You’re the new transfer from the Tokyo Shatterdome.”

 

He nodded, slightly startled, “Yeah, filling a vacancy in the J-tech crew?”

 

“Neural bridge operator, to be exact. I’m Wang Zu Lan, jaeger engineer.” He handed him the spare umbrella on his arm, “We’ll be working together."

 

“But I thought I’d be more involved in the LOCCENT?” It was how things worked in Japan, but he hadn’t been back home in China in ages.

 

“Nah, Hong Kong is a bit of a special snowflake when it comes to our crew. We only have two teams here so the J-tech guys are everywhere and anywhere. Here, follow me, I’ll give you a quick tour and explain a few things along the way.” He spun on his heel and walked briskly to a door on the side of the massive Shatterdome structure.

 

Bao Bei Er followed his lead reluctantly. “My, ah, luggage?” He asked.

 

“Oh don’t worry, it’ll be brought to your room by one of the trainees.”

 

“Great, thanks.”

 

Wang Zu Lan flapped a hand at him without turning his head, “Don’t worry about it, Deng Chao likes to make people feel welcome.”

 

“You mean, Marshal Deng Chao? As in the guy who oversees this entire place?”

 

Wang Zu Lan opened another door, waving him inside. “Okay, first thing you have to know about here is: we’re a family. There are about sev—six people who make up the main crew and that’s it. Close quarters, intimate environment, nicknames. Just how we work I guess.”

 

“So four rangers, and then you and the Marshal? That’s not a lot.”

 

“Well, ever since that darned Wall went up not a lotta people are exactly chomping at the bit to sign up for the PPDC ya know.”

 

“But I thought you guys still had like, a full J-crew and stuff in tact.”

 

“We do. It’s just, the six of us have been working together from the start, so we’re closer. Handpicked crew and all.”

 

Bao Bei Er’s eyebrows shot up, “Oh wow, that’s pretty impressive.”

 

Wan Zu Lan smirked, “well what you’re about to see is going to impress you even more.”

 

The two emerged from the narrow tunnel they were walking in to a room, well okay, not a room. Bao Bei Er was pretty sure it was at least ten storeys high and a football field long, if not longer. He certainly couldn’t see the other side. A smattering of people buzzed around the foot of a huge, stocky jaeger, its ultramarine blue exterior glinting faintly under the white lights, and more people in white lab coats were conversing on an intricate lattice of walkways overhead.

 

Bao Bei Er craned his neck, hoping to catch a glimpse of the blue jaeger in all its full glory.

 

“Gorgeous isn’t he. Worked on him myself.” Bao Bei Er could hear the smile in his voice. “Minotaur, Mark I but with enough upgrades and personal touches to be considered a Mark IV at least. HK Shatterdome’s pride and joy.”

 

“Just ‘Minotaur’? Not Minotaur Blue or something?” He gazed at the bold white stripes going down the body and legs of the jaeger, eyes tracking the occasional accents of cherry red. _MINOTAUR_ enclosed in two bullhorns was embossed in silver on the sides of the jaeger’s arms and legs.

 

“Another one of our shticks.”

 

“Who’re his pilots?”

 

Wang Zu Lan gestured to two men off to the side in matching black outfits, “Li Chen and Chen He.”

 

“As in, _that_ Li Chen?”

 

“Mhm,” Wang Zu Lan visibly found his astonishment amusing, “Impressive yeah?” Bao Bei Er wasn’t sure if he meant the jaeger or his pilot, but he was equally star struck.

 

“Never thought I’d see him in person,” Bao Bei Er was visibly ogling the pair from afar.

 

“He’s part of our six-person team.”

 

“He’s practically a legend dude.”

 

“Every legend has to start somewhere.”

 

“So is he the one eating the ice cream cone or?”

 

“Oh,” Wang Zu Lan started laughing, and the sound made Bao Bei Er jump a bit. He wasn’t quite sure if he was laughing or choking or suddenly possessed. Maybe a mix of all three. “That’s Chen He, gotta get used to his snacking habits. He’s usually the one with the food.”

 

“I see.” He stared as the man, Chen He, thrust his cone in Li Chen’s face.

 

“Alright, that’s one of our teams. The other, if you’ll just take two seconds to stop gaping at them and come this way,”

 

Bao Bei Er tore his eyes away, “Alright, alright, coming.” He jogged to catch up to Wang Zu Lan who was already going around Minotaur and making a beeline for a flash of gold.

 

“And here we have Sekhmet, Mark V, fastest jaeger in existence.” The jaeger in front of them now was a pale gold with deeper maroon accents and a ringed in bands of dusty ochre. “Her pilots are Yang Ying and Zhen Kai,” He nodded at a woman and a man, both shorter than the previous two rangers, who were being led around the machine by a few lab coats.

 

“She’s beautiful as well, wow.”

 

“Told you you’d be impressed.”

 

“You know what’d make me even more impressed?” Bao Bei Er turned mischievously towards the other man, “Getting to see the LOCCENT.”

 

“Woah, woah, slow down there officer, we’ll get to there soon enough.”

 

Bao Bei Er rubbed his hands together, “Count me excited.”

 

_____________________________

 

 

 It was strange, how the Hong Kong Shatterdome was run; there didn’t seem to be a strict military chain of command, at least not as far as he could tell. Sure there were clear and definitive ranks and people respected their superiors, but the relationship between the six was a bit odd. None of them were related in any way, but they really did seem like a family unit, and kicking kaiju butt was just the family business. The Marshal had introduced himself without his rank and requested to be known as “just Deng Chao” without pomp or circumstance. Bao Bei Er didn’t think he could get used to that, or his position, any time soon. He didn’t want to cross any lines regarding the six, but it seemed like Deng Chao was making a conscious effort to integrate him into the team. In Tokyo, he’d mainly worked in the LOCCENT, assessing HUD stats and analysing charts and all, maybe actively engaging with the rangers once in a blue moon, but Deng Chao had dispatched him to the Kwoon Combat Room, which made sense in theory but was slightly unconventional in practice.

 

Wang Zu Lan had showed him to the door, gave instructions on how to find his room, and cheerfully bade him farewell, disappearing around a bend. Looking around quickly, he took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The sharp but familiar sound of colliding jo staffs greeted him, and it took him a second to recognise the two black figures currently sparring on the mats to be none other than the pilots of Minotaur. A woman in a black tank top was watching them, eyes narrowed as she clicked at a few buttons on a flat screen black device. Even as he closed the door softly behind him, she continued to stare at the pair on the mats, who seemed to move together in perfect synchronisation, as though they could guess the other’s next move.

 

They probably could, if they spent enough time together in the Drift.

 

He noted that Chen He was slightly slower than Li Chen, whose tan, well-muscled form blurred as he moved across the mats, his hits precise and forceful. But from what Bao Bei Er could tell, each time he gained the upper hand, Chen He would strike out with astounding agility and skill and push him enough so that they were on equal footing again. It was a dance as much as it was a fight, a conversation between two bodies in motion that circled and collided with each other like two stars falling into orbit. It looked as natural and as effortless as breathing, as though this was exactly what they were born to do, destined for. Bao Bei Er had never seen such perfect physiological compatibility in real life.

 

As he inched slowly towards the woman, he heard a loud curse, a clatter, and then heavy panting. He paused and turned in time to see Chen He point his staff at Li Chen’s neck, the two staring at each other with enough intensity he thought he could cut the tension with a knife. Finally with a soft grunted “yield”, Chen He spun his staff so it was tucked neatly into his side and walked over to the edge of the mat where two towels and a water bottle lay. 

 

“What’d I tell you hm Chen?” He proclaimed cheerfully, slinging a towel around his shoulders while chucking another at Li Chen. He took a long pull from the bottle and proceeded to toss that too to his partner.

 

“That’s completely unfair. You only managed to win because you employed certain underhanded tactics,” Li Chen shoved at him.

 

They began picking their way over to the woman and Bao Bei Er, “Well hey, the kaiju out there ain’t fighting fair. Who’s to say I have to?”

 

“First of all, your logic is utterly unsound. Just because— ”

 

Bao Bei Er didn’t catch the rest of Li Chen’s reasoning, as the woman had stopped tapping at the device and had extended her hand towards him, “Xie Yi Ling, Fightmaster. Nice to meet you.”

 

“Bao Bei Er, new neural bridge operator, it’s a pleasure.”

 

“Oh, so you’re the new operator,” she noted with mild interest, “Welcome to the Hong Kong Shatterdome.” Raising her voice slightly, she shouted “boys, boys will you stop messing around? Chen He, don’t gloat. Winning isn’t the objective here. Plus, gloating is unbecoming.”

 

“Aw come on Yi Ling, you never said that when I got my ass whooped. I call favouritism,” Chen He grinned cheekily.

 

Xie Yi Ling ignored his jab and turned to Li Chen, “And you, you’re slightly off today. I don’t want reasons, but fix whatever issues you’re having. We need our rangers to be on top of their games,” Turning to smirk at Chen He, she added, “now who’s playing favourites.”

 

Chen He pouted, “Chen, tell her she’s being unfair.”

 

Li Chen sighed, “Why don’t you tell us who this gentleman is instead?”

 

“He’s Bao Bei Er, the new neural bridge operator that transferred in today from the Tokyo Shatterdome.”

 

Li Chen held out his hand, “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Li Chen, I pilot the jaeger Minotaur with this guy beside me, who you’ll have to excuse. You get used to him soon enough though,” he smiled. It was then Bao Bei Er noticed that their fingers were tightly intertwined.

 

Chen He gave him a wave, “Hi, Chen He. Don’t listen to a thing Li Chen says, he’s just uptight.”

 

Seeing one of the most famous jaeger pilots up close, Bao Bei Er couldn’t help but gush, “I’ve heard so much about you, Li Chen. Minotaur is absolutely gorgeous by the way, completely blown away.”

 

Li Chen dipped his head bashfully, dabbing a little at the sweat on his brow with his towel, “The stories are mostly blown up by the press, I’m nothing impressive. And Chen He really deserves most of the credit for renovating Minotaur, she’s only as good as she is because of him.”

 

Chen He poked his shoulder with a finger, “I’m kidding, he’s uptight AND he can’t take a compliment.”

 

“So boys, I’ve sent your stats today to your Pads already, take a look at them,” She gave Chen He a pointed look, and he groaned in response, “I’ll need a report from the two of you by 3 o’clock tomorrow barring emergencies. That means _two_ reports, _not_ a joint one.”

 

“Yes ma’am.” Li Chen answered dutifully.

 

“Yi Ling,” Chen He whined, “Seeing as we’re welcoming a new J-crew guy to the team, can’t we just take it easy and—”

 

“It's a no from me.”

 

“Ugh fine, gosh be that way. Chen let’s go, I need a shower.” Chen He stomped away from Xie Yi Ling, dragging Li Chen along, “Welcome to this hellhole by the way!” He tossed behind him, and Bao Bei Er lifted a hand in farewell.

 

“See you around!” Li Chen actually made a conscious effort to turn and meet his eye, but they were out of the room before Bao Bei Er could finish his “yeah you too!”

 

“So, neural bridge operator. I’ll send you Wang Bao Qiang’s old files on our two teams; the stats and figures should all be inside. If you need anything else, just go to the Marshal, he’s glad to help.”

 

“Wang Bao Qiang?” He inquired.

 

“Oh, ah sensitive topic. The old neural bridge operator, died from cancer half a year ago.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be. Not your fault. You’re here now, which says plenty about how well they’re coping with his death.”

 

“They?”

 

“The Marshal, our resident engineer, our rangers. The six, collectively known as ‘the family’, you’ll get used to that soon enough.”

 

“Yeah, I figured.”

 

“He was one of them. Don’t mention him in front of Zu Lan in particular, they were the closest.”

 

“He seemed fine when he came to get me though.”

 

“Half a year. He took the time to hide the pain.”

 

Bao Bei Er nodded mutely, his brain whirring with information.

 

“You’ll have to excuse me now, have a class to train. Nice to meet you, I’ll see you at the mess hall tonight,” she gave him another firm handshake before taking off out another door that led deeper into the Kwoon Room. It was then that Bao Bei Er realised that he didn’t have a Pad to receive the information she was supposed to forward.

 

 Shit.

_____________________________

 

 

His welcome dinner in the mess hall had been a noisy affair. The trainees kept shooting him looks he couldn’t decipher, and Deng Chao pulled him to sit with the rest of “the family”. He tried not to be awkward, particularly after knowing some of the history behind his position, and he could see the rest of the team making a conscious effort to engage and smile at him, which he appreciated.

 

When he returned to his room it was already eleven, and he was slightly tipsy off a technically restricted casket of beer that Deng Chao said they could open, because “welcome dinners are a special occasion, and exceptions have to be made for special occasions”. He decided to take a shower, organise his stuff, and then organise the apps on his Pad, which he’d found sitting on top of all his stuff when he got back to his room. But it was nearing two in the morning now and he found himself intrigued by the stats of the ranger teams.

 

Chen He and Li Chen had a drift compatibility of 99.67%, something he'd considered virtually impossible until today, and his eyes had nearly jumped out of his skull when he saw the numbers printed in bold red across his screen.

 

“Holy shit,” He muttered, scrolling down.

 

There was the basic info: height, weight, eye colour, blood type, et cetera, and then there was a mini biography. Li Chen’s he pretty much knew. Ten when the first kaiju attack happened, thirteen when he first joined the Pan Pacific Defence Corps, seventeen when he first drifted with Deng Chao, and finally twenty five when Deng Chao sustained a near fatal attack on his right side, resulting in a permanent limp and blindness in one eye. Li Chen faded out of the spotlight for two years after that, refusing to drift with anyone else since he barely retained his sanity after his co-pilot was maimed and then torn away from their neural handshake. At twenty-seven, he once again became the subject of every gossip magazine when he announced he was fighting kaiju again. There’d been no news on him since. Frankly, Bao Bei Er was pleasantly surprised to find Li Chen taking on the ranger mantle again, particularly after as scarring an experience as the one he’d experienced. Sure, he was perhaps the hottest jaeger pilot on this side of the hemisphere, and sure, he was probably one of the most skilled and efficient pilots ever, but that level of trauma wasn’t something people could just walk away from.

 

So seeing the 99.67%? Colour him impressed. And very, very curious. 

 

He flipped to Chen He’s biography. The man, well boy, now that he knew his age, wasn’t as well known as Li Chen by a long shot. A mediocre trainee in the PPDC, no honours, awards, or badges. He did grow up in a military family though, which explained his move at the age of six to Hong Kong, and his subsequent enrolment in the Jaeger training programme. He was only twenty-three now, to Li Chen’s thirty, but apparently when Li Chen emerged from therapy again, the boy was the only one remotely compatible with him in the Kwoon Room. Why? No one really knew, but everyone, including Deng Chao was shocked.

 

Curious, curious. It certainly justified the show he saw today though.

 

He made a mental note to keep an eye on the seemingly immature Cheng He; boy must have something about him to make Li Chen want to return to jaeger piloting again.

 

He set his Pad to the side, about to close the lights when he realised his bladder was killing him. He rolled out of bed, pattered over to the bathroom, and mid-leak he realised that he was also thirsty. Mentally cursing his high maintenance body, he washed his hands, slipped on a jacket and some shoes, and went off to the kitchens to find a bottle of water.

 

After a few right turns, a lot of backtracking, and a moan of frustration, he stopped in the middle of a foreign corridor and wiped a hand over his face. How was he lost? He’d passed the kitchens on his way back from the mess hall, and he was pretty sure he knew how to get to the mess hall. So what the hell was he doing here? And how was he going to get back? It was arse o’clock in the morning and he really didn’t want to disturb any of his co-workers by knocking on random doors in the middle of the night.

 

Abruptly, a door to his left swung open, revealing a heavily rumpled Zhen Kai who was rubbing at his eye. Seeing Bao Bei Er there, he raised his hand in greeting and turned to leave when Bao Bei Er called out, “Wait, Zhen Kai.”

 

“Yeah?” He asked through a yawn, blinking rapidly as he tried to adjust to the harsh bright lights.

 

“Em, I’m a bit lost? I was trying to find the kitchens for a bottle of water and I ah,” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

 

“Dude it’s fine. I’m heading to the kitchens myself for something, just come with me,” Zhen Kai’s eyes were slits, but he managed to summon a smile for him.

 

“Right yeah, thanks so much.”

 

“Not a problem.”

 

There was a beat of silence as the two walked, Zhen Kai muffling a yawn with his hand.

 

“Did, did you just come out of Mar—I mean Deng Chao’s room?” Bao Bei Er couldn’t help but blurt out, judging the other man’s reaction from his peripheral vision.

 

“Yeah, he wanted orange juice? Who the fuck wants orange juice at three o’clock in the morning god. It’s like he’s pregnant or something.”

 

“It’s, it’s nothing I just thought,” He trailed off, biting his lip.

 

“That Yang Ying and I were together?” He huffed out a laugh.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Don’t let our LOCCENT mission controller hear you say that, he’ll have my head, or better yet my dick.”

 

“Wait, you mean Huang—”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Sorry I didn’t realise.”

 

“It’s fine, people just assume. Not the first time and won’t be the last.

 

“So are all the rangers only friends or am I, misreading?”

 

Zhen Kai grinned, “dude your gaydar is like, totally out of whack. Granted I’m not exactly, gay, but you get the point.”

 

Bao Bei Er stopped in his tracks. Zhen Kai carried on, and when he realised he’d lost his companion he turned back, eyebrows raised. “You really couldn’t tell.”

 

“I just didn’t think, I just didn’t want to,” Bao Bei Er stammered, sleep deprived mind rapidly connecting the dots. Did that explain their high drift compatibility or did their high drift compatibility explain the inevitability of a relationship? For the second time that day Bao Bei Er felt his brain go into information overdrive. Being a neural bridge operator he really should know better.

 

Slowly, he shuffled forward again.

 

“I guess, people would be surprised. He’s pretty much a nobody, so far at least, and Li Chen looks about as straight as you can get.”

 

Bao Bei Er nodded mutedly.

 

“When they first sparred with each other, boy oh boy, talk about explosive.” Zhen Kai chuckled, taking a sharp left turn, “Didn’t think my best friend ever had it in him. I thought they were gonna go at it right then and there in front of everyone at the end. Trust me, I was there.”

 

“You never thought of drifting with Chen He?” They’d arrived at the kitchens then, and Zhen Kai made his way over to the cupboards, pulling out a bottle of water and handing it over to Bao Bei Er.

 

“I did, we used to be co-pilots in demo. 67.83%, not bad, not optimal either.”

 

“I see.”

 

“When Chen He got picked to be with Li Chen,” he snickered at his own wording, before continuing, “it was all Chen this, Chen that, like he’d forgotten all about me.” He shuffled over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice.

 

Bao Bei Er took a sip from his water bottle, “You did get paired with Yang Ying though.”

 

“Thank god for that too, finally got rid of the nuisance Chen He,” he raised the carton to his lips, leaning back against the counter.

 

Bao Bei Er chuckled.

 

“You know how to get back from here?” Zhen Kai asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand

 

“I think I got it.”

 

“Great, snacks are over there, second drawer to the right in case you’re hungry. I’ll be off now before Deng Chao can flay me alive. Night.” He gave him a sloppy salute before ambling out.

 

“Night. Thanks again!” He called out after him, taking another gulp of water.

 

_____________________________

 

 

The next day Bao Bei Er found himself back in the Kwoon Room first thing in the morning. Zhen Kai and Yang Ying were having a session and since he’d gotten a glimpse of Li Chen and Chen He sparring, Deng Chao wanted him to get familiar with the other ranger team as well. They were amazing, of course, an 89.92% compatibility rate didn’t lie, but it seemed less impressive after the show yesterday. Their sparring was definitely gentler, mellower, and more graceful, but at times it seemed like one of them had a definitive upper hand against the other and they lost some of their equal footing. Ultimately, Yang Ying had Zhen Kai pinned on his back with her staff under his chin, smile on her face as she challenged through huffs of breath, “Do you yield?”

 

“Yield, yield, jeez now get off.”

 

With that she rolled off of him and flopped down onto the ground, panting.

 

Xie Yi Ling walked over to hand out towels and bottles of water and as the two recovered, she squatted down and began lecturing.

 

“Zhen Kai, slow. Way too slow, honestly if Yang Ying hadn’t gone easy on you, you would’ve been down way before now. Concentrate, I expect better out of you. And Yang Ying, good job. But don’t pity him for heaven’s sake, you know I can see right through you.”

 

They nodded and Zhen Kai threw an arm over his eyes.

 

“Reports from both of you at 3 o’clock tomorrow.”

 

“Yes ma’am.” They replied in unison.

 

Nodding, Xie Yi Ling stood up and went over to Bao Bei Er, “Thoughts?”

 

“One of the better pairs, definitely,” He lowered his voice slightly.

 

Xie Yi Ling hummed. “Seen their stats right.”

 

“Yes ma’am.”

 

“Kill count ten. 6 category fours, 4 category threes. Doesn’t get more impressive than that.”

 

“Minotaur’s team though,” he trailed off.

 

“Kill count three. 2 category threes, 1 category four.”

 

“I know, I know, but you gotta take into account Li Chen’s accident and—”

 

“With their compatibility rate I was thinking double digits and category fives.”

 

“I’m seeing them in action today.”

 

“Hopefully you can do something about Li Chen. Wang Bao Qiang had been making some progress before.”

 

“Chasing the RABIT yes I know, but that’s only expected given his recovery time and the extent of his psychological injuries.”

 

Xie Yi Ling sighed, running a hand over her face. “Listen, Li Chen is a very, very good friend of mine and I hated the idea of him ever attempting to drift again after what had happened. But you saw yesterday, anyone with eyes could see yesterday and know that that’s something special. They’re brilliant in action, truly, but Li Chen is unstable. That’s why we don’t let them deal with anything bigger than a category four, hell we don’t even sic them on category fours often enough. They might be a better team, but nothing can beat Sekhmet’s stability.”

 

Bao Bei Er nodded gravely, “I’ll see what I can do.”

 

“Chen He’s working on him, and they practice, but,” she bit her lip, “you’ll see.” She unlocked her Pad, “And my next class is going to start in about five minutes. See you around.”

 

“Thanks, for the info.”

 

“When it comes to Li Chen, I’ll help in any way I can.”

 

“And I promise I’ll give my best shot at fixing them.”

 

_____________________________

 

He was on the elevator up to the LOCCENT when he accidentally pressed the button for the Drivesuit Room instead. Cross his heart and hope to die, it wasn’t on purpose, but when the doors slid open, he couldn’t help but take a peek at the Drivesuits. He was well on his way to opening the doors to Bay 07, when he heard voices to his left, and on instinct he ducked around a column. In front of Bay 06 stood Li Chen and Chen He. He wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying, what with their heads bent together and voices hushed to a harsh whisper. To his surprise, Chen He grabbed Li Chen’s shoulders and shook him a bit, voice climbing.

 

“You are good enough, you’re the best and you darn well believe it.”

 

Bao Bei Er didn’t catch Li Chen’s muttered reply. Chen He’s hands moved to cup the back of Li Chen’s neck.

 

“Stop stop stop, Li Chen just stop. We have the world’s high drift compatibility rate, that stands for something doesn’t it.”

 

A pause.

 

“Yeah well I’m not goddamn Deng Chao. Can you let that go for like half a second? I. Am. Not. Deng. Chao. You’ll never lose me, I promise.

 

Chen He had his arms fully around the other man now. He couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore, their voices lost and muted into each other, and briefly he felt a hot flush of shame at his nosiness. But he was there and he couldn’t get out without making things more awkward than they already were, and so he decided to stay put. The pair in front of him didn’t seem to notice at all, their foreheads resting together. With a start, he remembered what someone had told him years before, when he was still a trainee — the Ghost Drift, how even when pilots were disconnected from the Conn-pod their neural link remained. This was the Ghost Drift wasn't it? He mused, watching as Li Chen leant up to press a kiss on Chen He’s forehead, each of his eyelids, the tip of his nose, his cheeks, and finally when he reached his mouth, Chen He met him halfway with his eyes closed. Bao Bei Er felt glued in place, unable to look away, his heart pounding in his ears. As their mouths met softly, one of Li Chen’s hands came up to cup his cheek, stroking his thumb back and forth across his cheekbone, and when they broke apart for air, Chen He’s hand came up as well to hold Li Chen’s in place. They stood like that for another moment.

 

Huang Xiao Ming’s voice boomed over the speakers.

 

“Minotaur rangers, a team is coming up now to help you into your Drivesuits for your test run.”

 

The two separated, hands dropping to connect, fingers falling into place against each other like dust settling with a gentle sigh. Li Chen reached up to open the door to Bay 06, and the two disappeared inside just as the elevator dinged and a team of technicians trooped out. Bao Bei Er took the chance to slip back into the elevator, letting out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding as the doors slid shut again, and he descended to the proper LOCCENT floor.


	2. his and mine are the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please ignore everything you know about the Pacific Rim canon and just go with it <3

_3 months later,_

_0500 hours._

 

“Hope you two weren’t doing something potentially scarring up there again.” Huang Xiao Ming joked into the mic, smirking.

 

“Did you want a show?” Chen He’s voice came over the HUD.

 

Li Chen’s voice overlaid his, “That was only _one_ time.”

 

“And that is one time too many.”

 

“Prepare for neural handshake,” Deng Chao strode up, resting one hand on the back of Huang Xiao Ming’s chair as he looked out at Minotaur.

 

“Initiating neural handshake,” he replied, hand moving rapidly over the controls.

 

“Had a good night’s sleep you two?” Deng Chao bent down, checking the figures on Huang Xiao Ming’s HUD, “sorry the call time’s so early today.”

 

“Yeah no problem,” Li Chen’s voice drowned out Chen He, who was busy spewing expletives and giving Deng Chao a piece of his mind for dragging him out of bed at 4 AM.

 

Bao Bei Er muffled his laugh with a cough and curbed himself in time to speak into his own mic, “Remember what we were working on yeah? Just let it flow Li Chen, sand through your fingers. Stay loose, don’t tense up, don’t try to latch onto anything. You got this.”

 

 _Neural interface Drift initiated_.

 

Bao Bei Er’s fingers tightened on the arms of his chair, staring at the monitor in front of him. The right hemisphere calibration rate was lagging behind the left hemisphere calibration rate, not a surprise considering Li Chen still wasn’t a hundred per cent steady in the Drift despite the relentless training Bao Bei Er had recommended. It was a rigorous schedule of hours and hours and round after round in the Kwoon Room from seven to eleven, then neural testing all throughout the afternoon until dinner to ensure that Li Chen didn’t go out of alignment in the middle of a fight. It was both physically and mentally exhausting, but somehow Li Chen had pushed through, tugging a whining Chen He behind him. There were slight improvements, of course, in Li Chen’s stability rate, the constant training and Drifting numbing his memories and making him less likely to chase the RABIT, but Bao Bei Er’s goal was to get him stabilised completely.

 

Deng Chao had wanted a demo of their progress that morning, both to gauge their readiness and to see the fruits of Bao Bei Er’s labour. If they did well, he’d been planning on sending them after the next kaiju that appeared on their radar. Sekhmet’s ranger team deserved a well-earned rest after the four consecutive attacks—all category fours—that month, and Minotaur’s team wasn’t getting enough practical combat experience.

 

_Right hemisphere calibrated._

 

Bao Bei Er’s eyes widened in shock, his mouth opening involuntarily from where it had been pursed in a thin line. How in the world did Li Chen manage to get calibrated first?

 

_Left hemisphere calibrated._

_Ready to activate jaeger._

“Good job.” Deng Chao was smiling, eyes crinkled at the corners, expression unreadable from Bao Bei Er’s vantage point. He seemed happy at the progress at least.

 

“That was awesome Li Chen,” Bao Bei Er said excitedly into his mic, watching as the jaeger moved into a preparation stance. The view of Minotaur coming alive in front of him never failed to take his breath away.

 

_Pilot to jaeger connection complete._

 

“That was all Chen He,” Li Chen sounded amazed as well, “we were working on a few mental tactics to help with the RABIT situation in private and—”

 

“What he wants to say is that it worked,” Chen He interrupted, “for now.”

 

“Well,” came Deng Chao’s voice, “We’ll see how you guys do over the next few hours. Let’s put you through the motions.”

 

Bao Bei Er’s body relaxed slightly as he monitored their stats. Everything seemed to be within the normal range and evening out, so looked up and took the opportunity to observe the jaeger in action. Despite having been on the team for three months already, Minotaur had never been sent out and his work with the pilots extended only to the neurological side of affairs, never the physical gritty work.

 

_Calibration complete._

 

Minotaur flowed smoothly from one stance to the next, gears whirring as he moved.

 

“Hey guys, just a heads up, I added a few all new Plasmacasters to your back,” Wang Zu Lan appeared next to Deng Chao without warning, a mug of coffee in his hand.

 

Deng Chao turned to face him, forehead crinkled, “Did I authorise this?”

 

“Does it matter now?”

 

“Guess not.”

 

“Thanks Zu Lan, really appreciate it,” said Li Chen, seeming completely unaffected as Minotaur continued to move.

 

“How’re you guys feeling?” Bao Bei Er asked, tearing his attention away from the jaeger and squinting back at his HUD again.

 

“Peachy.” Chen He replied, “Any other cool new additions?”

 

“Lemme think, it’s too early for this,” Wang Zu Lan banged at his head with the flat of his palm. “Oh I know!” he snapped his fingers, “I upgraded your blades to fully plasma ones, so less friction, instant wound cauterization, lighter grip, plus it can cut through almost anything. You already know about the new IB22 Plasmacasters on your back. I reinforced the armour on those shoulders as well, I know you like to use them as defence.”

 

“You didn’t update our CH09-Bullhorns?” Chen He pouted.

 

“Like hell I didn’t update your CH09-Bullhorns, those are the light of my life. I added the newest and lightest K-stunner rockets to their clip, those suckers explode when they’re _inside_ the kaiju. Gotta thank the weapons specialists for 'em.”

 

“Why didn’t you add those before?”

 

“Because the fucking recoil would’ve sent the head of Minotaur flying you idiot.”

 

“Chen He is very appreciative of all your upgrades, Zu Lan,” Li Chen said, “and so am I. Thanks man, we mean it.”

 

“Damn right,” He muttered, taking another pull from his mug.

 

The jaeger slid into a halt in front of them, and Deng Chao pointed at Bao Bei Er, “Stats?”

 

“All within normal range, sir.” Bao Bei Er replied, delighted.

 

“Fantastic. Any anomalies, Xiao Ming?”

 

“None to report, they’re in fantastic shape.” 

 

Deng Chao clapped his hands together and addressed Minotaur, “you guys ready for the demo?”

 

“As ready as ever.”

_____________________________

 

He looked up from where he’d been lifting a piece of meat up to his mouth when a high-pitched squeal startled him out of his reverie at the mess hall table. Chen He stood up in a hurry, wiping his mouth with a napkin and only caught Yang Ying, who’d flung her arms around his neck, in the nick of time.

 

“I heard Chao approved you guys for active duty, no restrictions whatsoever,” she said excitedly, unwinding her arms from around Chen He to embrace Li Chen.

 

“Yeah congrats guys,” Zhen Kai said from behind her, reaching out for high fives, “looking forward to kicking ass together.”

 

“Hell yeah we are, it was getting so lonely out there,” she added, bouncing on her heels as she stepped away from the two.

 

Chen He laughed, “We’ll be undefeatable, those motherfuckers better watch out.”

 

“Yeah, it’s been awhile,” Li Chen’s enthusiasm was slightly more reticent, as Chen He looped his arm around his, smile wide enough for the both of them.

 

“Minotaur is officially raring to go, let’s go stop the fucking apocalypse!” He whooped, pumping a fist into the air as the entire mess hall cheered. His mood was infectious, and an excited buzz swept through the hall even as they sat down and Yang Ying and Zhen Kai went to get their lunches. Bao Bei Er didn’t comment at the fact that Li Chen’s left hand and Chen He’s right had disappeared under the table, and merely beamed, letting the exhilaration sweep through him again. “Thanks for not embarrassing me today by the way,” he joked.

 

“Why we would never,” Chen He was mock offended, “you underestimate us.”

 

“Not going to lie, but your schedule was hard. We were ready to give up halfway through,” Li Chen admitted, “glad we didn’t though.”

 

Chen He’s eyes were slits as he glared theatrically, hissing, “What’d you tell him that for? Are you an idiot?”

 

Li Chen shot him a look, and Chen He huffed, returning to his lunch. Now immune to their quirks and silent exchanges, Bao Bei Er followed suit, shoving the piece of meat he’d been holding into his mouth. At first he’d been, well, a little disturbed by the two. Entire conversations seemed to pass between them between one blink and the next, and sometimes, in the few instances where they weren’t together, they’d just stare at each other from across the room until someone got them to return to whatever they were supposed to be doing. Even then, he still caught them sneaking glances when they thought no one was watching.

 

Once, and only that once, he got dragged into playing cards against the two with the rest of “the family”. Needless to say, they won every single round, and no matter how good his hand was he still found himself throwing money at Chen He’s smug face. He gave up in the end, flinging his hands up in frustration and letting Deng Chao take his place at the table. He totally blamed the weird, strangely intense Ghost Drift thing they had going on.

 

Deng Chao’s wallet emptied even faster than his. 

 

He got used to it though, used to their charged pauses, their constant need to touch in some way, even if it was just the brush of his knuckles against the back of his hand; used to the way Chen He would glue himself to Li Chen’s side, to the way Li Chen’s eyes would soften every time they stopped sparring; used to averting his eyes whenever he caught them pressed against the wall of the empty Kwoon Room, backtracking briskly and pretending he didn’t hear the desperate whine Chen He let out as Li Chen sucked a mark into his neck.

 

Yeah, he concluded, he was definitely used to their overt public displays of affection. But that was what Drifting with someone did to you. You couldn’t share every inch of yourself, meld your fucking mind to another person without experiencing some side effects, but if the world got a phenomenal kaiju-killing team out of their Drift, than they could fuck in front of him for all he cared.

 

Actually, no, scratch that. He didn’t want to see that. 

 

_____________________________

 

In the end, it didn’t matter if he _actually_ wanted to see them going at it or not. Fate had other plans.

 

He’d been up early, hoping to get some work done before the morning rush, and on his way to the kitchens for a little snack before breakfast when he stopped in his tracks in the doorway. The first thing he saw was Chen He, his hair bouncing slightly as he moved over Li Chen’s lap, biting his lip to stop the moan that threatened to escape. His head was thrown back, eyes closed in concentration, tiny whimpers emanating unbidden out of swollen red lips, white-knuckled hands clutching at the back of the couch on either side of Li Chen, who was busy attacking his already bruised neck.

 

“We’re, ah, ahh yeah li—like that, gonna be, ah harder,” he managed to get out between whimpers before he bent his head to join his lips with Li Chen’s. Bao Bei Er decided to abort mission. Screw getting a snack, he just wanted to get out of there when Chen He’s eyes were still closed. As he fast walked as quietly as he could away from the kitchens, he realised he could never sit on the couches in front of the kitchen TV ever again.

 

According to Zhen Kai, it was considered a statistical aberration for someone in the Hong Kong Shatterdome to have never walked in on Li Chen and Chen He. They were at dinner the next day when Bao Bei Er made a subtle pass on the subject after the pair had left to “write up their reports for Yi Ling”. Judging by the snickers and hollers that followed them on the way out, he was sure that’d been a euphemism for something.

 

Yang Ying nodded, “you’re lucky you only caught them once. I’ve been here from the start and I don’t think _bleach_ can get those images out of my head.”

 

“I remember getting an eyeful on my first night here. Consider yourself lucky,” piped in Huang Xiao Ming from her side.

 

“ ‘Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who have walked in on Li Chen and Chen He.’ ” Deng Chao declared impishly.

 

“Did you just quote Harry fucking Potter?” Zhen Kai twisted in his seat, “you big nerd.”

 

Deng Chao laughed, “you love it.”

 

The table groaned collectively, and Zhen Kai flushed red while Deng Chao clutched at his stomach and laughed even harder. Bao Bei Er couldn’t believe these were the people humanity relied on to save the world.

 

_____________________________

 

 

It was in the middle of the afternoon when it happened.

 

            _Movement in the Breach._

_Double event._

_Minotaur report to Bay 06, Sekhmet report to Bay 07._

 

Bao Bei Er dropped his Pad from where he’d be examining a data chart. A double event? Well shit.

 

Huang Xiao Ming’s voice overrode the AI’s.

 

“Breach was exposed at 1500 hours. We have two signatures, one category three, one category four. Codenames: Glutton and Frosted Ice. They’ll be landing in Hong Kong in around forty-five minutes. Standard civilian evacuation procedure, all hands on deck, now.”

 

Bao Bei Er was already running to the elevator, gathering his wits and merging with the pack as everyone poured out of their rooms.

 

“Sekhmet, put down Glutton, and Minotaur, Frosted Ice. Keep them as far away from the coastline as possible.”

 

Bao Bei Er’s feet tapped impatiently on the elevator floor as it slowly climbed its way up to the LOCCENT. His first time seeing Minotaur deployed and it was going to be a double event. At least they’d have Sekhmet’s back-up if worst came to worst. He sent a silent prayer to whoever was up there that Li Chen would be as stable as he was before.

 

The doors slid open and he rushed to his station, sliding on his equipment and switching on his HUD screens with nerveless fingers.

 

“Bao Bei Er I want you to monitor Minotaur closely,” Deng Chao barked.

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“The category three is small, but Frosted Ice,” his expression was grim, “she’s one of the largest category fours yet.”

 

“Minotaur should be fine, sir.”

 

“Well, I hope so too.”

 

_Data relay gel dispersing in circuitry suit._

 

“Good luck you two, she’s a big one.”

 

“Thanks.” Chen He’s response was unusually curt.

 

_Data relay gel dispersing in circuitry suit._

 

“Hey baby,” Huang Xiao Ming smiled.

 

“Hey yourself,” Yang Ying’s voice was as light as ever.

 

“C’mon babe, don’t shoot the bearer of good news. Glutton’s small, so go kick that kaiju ass girl.”

 

“Alright, alright, just pretend I don’t exist,” cut in Zhen Kai.

 

“Aw, no, I love you too man,” Huang Xiao Ming made exaggerated kissing noises, contorting his face and squeezing his eyes closed.

 

“Snap to it people,” Bao Bei Er was slightly bewildered by Deng Chao’s out of character sobriety, “Xiao Ming, engage Minotaur's pilot-to-pilot protocol.”

 

“You got it, Chao. Engaging both now.”

_Pilot-to-pilot connection protocol sequence._

_Minotaur launch. Bay 06._

_Pilot-to-pilot connection protocol sequence._

_Sekhmet launch. Bay 07_

 

 

“Minotaur ready and aligned.”

 

“Sekhmet ready and aligned, awaiting your command.”

 

“Rangers, this is Deng Chao. Prepare for neural handshake in 30 seconds.”

 

Bao Bei Er counted down silently in his head, pushing Deng Chao’s atypical behaviour out of his mind to focus on his task at hand. The AI countdown to joined his mental one at the fifteen-second mark.

 

_…Three, two, one._

_Pilot-to-pilot connection protocol sequence._

_Minotaur neural handshake initiated._

 

Gnawing on his lip, he watched the initiation bar like a hawk, fingers tapping a senseless rhythm on his desk as he felt all eyes focus on him. Nearly there, nearly there, just that tiny bit to go.

 

“Neural handshake strong and holding, sir.” He announced, doing a mental fist pump.

 

Li Chen’s voice sounded calm, “Right hemisphere is calibrating.”

 

“Left, calibrating.”

 

_Proofed and transmitting._

 

Bao Bei Er ran a hand over his head. So far so good.

 

“I want you to hold the miracle mile, copy?”

 

“Roger that.”

 

_Sekhmet neural handshake initiated._

 

He kept a distracted eye on their initiation bar, watching as the storm doors opened for Minotaur.

 

“Neural handshake strong and holding," He confirmed. 

 

“Right hemisphere is calibrating,” Yang Ying said.

 

“Left hemisphere is calibrating,” parroted Zhen Kai.

 

And, there.

_Proofed and transmitting._

 

“You know what to do. Hold the miracle mile, copy?”

 

“Copy, sir.”

 

Minotaur had already hit the water when Sekhmet began to roll out.

 

“Sir, Glutton is eleven miles off the coastline,” Huang Xiao Ming announced.

 

“Frosted Ice?”

 

“Nine, sir.”

 

“Fuck.”

 

“If it helps, sir, stats are strong for Minotaur,” Bao Bei Er reported, fingers flashing as they danced over the HUD.

 

“Thank you, that’s possibly the only relief.”

 

“If I may, sir—”

 

“Continue monitoring Minotaur, I don’t want anything going wrong. Xiao Ming, keep track of Glutton and Frosted Ice.”

 

“Yes sir.”                                                                                             “Of course, sir.”

 

He knew the LOCCENT couldn’t help much with the actual attacks beyond tirelessly tracking and monitoring figures on their HUDs; the rest was up to the jaegers and their rangers. They could only wait.

 

Deng Chao’s arms were crossed behind his back as he stood, alert like a watchdog, fingers tensing and slackening at irregular intervals and staring into the distance. Bao Bei Er discreetly rolled his chair closer to Wang Zu Lan, who was sitting at his own desk to the side.

 

“What’s got our fearless leader’s panties in a bunch?” He whispered underneath his breath.

 

“He gets like that when Minotaur goes out,” Wang Zu Lan seemed ill at ease, his mood contrasting with the strain of the situation. 

 

“Why?”

 

“Anyone ever tell you asking too many questions is bad for you?”

 

Bao Bei Er was about to turn back to his station when Wang Zu Lan spoke again.

 

“Look, it’s not my story to tell. If you want to know, you’ll have to get it out of him.”

 

He nodded, “Thanks.”

 

“It’s nothing, you’re practically one of us now.”

 

He swivelled around to look at Wang Zu Lan, but the man was already out of his chair and walking towards the restrooms. He didn’t know what to make of his parting words.  

_____________________________

 

Two days later he cornered a Jumphawk pilot he’d been keeping a sharp eye on. He’d heard through the grapevine that the guy, Ou Di, had pretty much all the dirt on everyone, and since his rangers were given a two day break as they emerged victorious from the double event, he found himself with more than a bit of free time on his hands. Li Chen and Chen He had disappeared into their rooms, only emerging to file their reports and thank the team for everything they’d done ( _them K-stunners worked like a fucking dream Zu Lan, holy shit you should’ve seen the way Frosted fucking Ice went down, DOWN I tell you_ ). Zhen Kai and Yang Ying spent their day in front of the gaming console, apparently of the opinion that punching giant monsters in real life wasn’t enough action for them. This was exactly why Bao Bei Er wasn’t pilot material, but he digresses.

 

“Hey, hey Ou Di, you got a minute?” He jogged up to the man who had been scrolling distractedly through his Pad.

 

Ou Di glanced up at him in surprise, shoving his Pad away, “Hey! Aren’t you that neural operator whatever guy? Bao Bei Er? Hey man! I’ve always got a minute for you.”

 

“Great. I was just wondering,” he surveyed their surroundings, “it’s a bit of a, well, private matter. Take a walk?”

 

“Oh,” Ou Di looked slightly confused, “sure, yeah.”

 

“Okay, so since I’m the new guy here and I don’t really, you know, know about the history between people,”

 

Realization dawned on Ou Di, and he sniggered, “Oh, so that’s what you want to know about. Why didn’t you say so earlier, man? I’m always happy to gossip.”     

 

Bao Bei Er ducked his head, “I just didn’t want to, ah tread on any toes.”

 

“Okay, spit it out. What, or who do you want to know about?”

 

“You see, I was just wondering. The double event? Two days ago? Well, Deng Chao seemed weirdly solemn, not his, you know, usual self.”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“Was just wondering if you knew why?”

 

“Hmmm, why why why indeed.”

 

“I just, I asked Zu Lan about it and he said he's like that when Minotaur is deployed…” He paused, hoping the other man would continue.

 

“Ah,” Ou Di exclaimed, “of course you wouldn’t know.”

 

“Know what?”

 

“You know how Deng Chao and Li Chen used to pilot Minotaur right.”

 

Bao Bei Er gave him a look, “I’m not daft.”

 

“Just wanted to make sure man. But anyway, accident a few years back, yadda yadda, you know the story.”

 

“Course.”

 

“What people don’t know,” This time it was Ou Di who took a quick peek around to make sure they were alone. He continued in a murmur, “What people don’t know is that Deng Chao and Li Chen used to be a thing.”

 

“A thing?”

 

“Not so loud man! Shh, yeah you know, a _thing_.”

 

“Oh, oh that sorta _thing_.”

 

“We don’t talk about it because it’s touchy and taboo and stuff, but yeah. The two of them were never quite the same after the accident. Li Chen couldn’t stand the sight of Deng Chao for ages, and they used to be awfully close too. I’d say as close as brothers but given the context that’s just disgusting.”

 

“They seem fine now? And what about, Chen He and like, Zhen Kai? Isn’t it just a little awkward?”

 

“I guess they talked it out. They still cared about each other, obviously. Eight years is a really fucking long time to be inside someone else’s head.”

 

“You know their compatibility rate?”

 

“You think I remember shit like that? I just gossip man.”

 

“Right, right. But Chen He? Isn’t it weird to take commands from your boyfriend’s ex?”

 

“They make it work. Plus have you seen those two? They’re in a league of their own, I don’t think anything can tear them apart.”  

 

“It’s strange how Deng Chao doesn’t even tense up like that when his actual boyfriend is putting his life on the line.”

 

Ou Di stopped in his tracks, whirling to face him, “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Deng Chao gets outwardly weird with Minotaur because he’d piloted that jaeger for eight years. I heard he gets flashbacks each time he looks at ‘im, though heaven knows why. The Minotaur now looks nothing like the Minotaur he’d piloted. But, here’s the important part: when Sekhmet goes out, trust me when I say he’s worried. Don’t ask why, I’d know.”

 

“Okay, okay. Don’t bite my head off. I get it.”

 

“Any other questions?”

 

“Not right now.”

 

“Great! Nice talking to you. Hit me up anytime if you have questions or if you just want to talk, I’m always open,” He winked, bright smile on his face again and strolled off, whipping his Pad out.

 

Bao Bei Er was left alone with his thoughts, and he did a one-eighty, heading back the direction they’d came to his room.  

_____________________________

 

Mako Mori and Raleigh Beckett of the Tokyo Shatterdome saved the world on a clear January morning. Bao Bei Er vaguely remembered Mako Mori from his time in Tokyo; he certainly had vivid recollections of her father Stacker Pentecost. As Deng Chao assembled all of the personnel in the main jaeger chamber and announced the news, the War Clock was reset to zero, and a deafening cheer went up. With the way everyone was gathered, it was almost like another attack had been announced, but no. There weren't going to be any more attacks.

 

Bao Bei Er couldn’t quite fathom it. He’d been fighting kaiju for as long as he could remember, hell he didn’t even remember his life before K-Day. He stood dumbly in the LOCCENT, watching as a group of people burst in and Zhen Kai flew at Deng Chao, throwing his reservations to the wind and planting a large kiss on his mouth. Not that anyone was paying attention. Wang Zu Lan had collapsed in his chair, tears streaming down his face as he pumped his arms wildly in the air; Huang Xiao Ming and Yang Ying were down in the jaeger chamber, locked in a tight embrace. Bao Bei Er scanned the rowdy crowd below, finally catching a glimpse of two interlocked black figures that contrasted wildly with the uproar of the festivity around them. From afar, they almost looked like one massive black dot as they simply stood, curled in upon and clutching at each other. Bao Bei Er looked away. It was a private moment as much as anything else, and they deserved the space.

 

The fucking Kaiju War was over, hard as it was to swallow. Just like that. 

 

As he felt the news sink in slowly, he began to laugh and couldn’t stop laughing; laughed until there were tears flowing down his face and even then he continued. No more kaiju, no more jaegers, no more Shatterdome life. Fuck. He threw his equipment off, grabbed the first person he could find and hugged them, high off his own happiness. He turned, wrapping his arms around another, then another. He couldn’t see past the film of his tears, and quite frankly he didn’t give a damn. They’d done it, humanity had done it, and he needed to hug everyone last person in the room.

 

All of a sudden he felt a tug on his sleeve and Zhen Kai was shouting in his ear, “Dude, let’s go!”

 

“Where?” He shouted back, stumbling through the crowd after Deng Chao, who had Zhen Kai tucked under one arm.

 

“To the rest of the family man!”

 

 _Oh_ , he thought as he shoved his way to the elevator. _Oh_ , his thoughts echoed as Deng Chao hauled Li Chen off of Chen He, who looked thoroughly ravished but too elated to care. “Oh,” he said out loud as Deng Chao drew all seven of them into a large group hug.

 

“To Mako and Raleigh!” He cheered.

 

“To Mako and Raleigh!” They echoed.

 

“To the Hong Kong Shatterdome!”

 

“To the Hong Kong Shatterdome!”

 

“To the fucking family!”

 

“To the fucking family!” Bao Bei Er yelled at the top of his lungs.

 

Come hell or high water, this was it. Them seven, against the world.   


End file.
